A Practical View of Real Christianity

“[It is] impossible to tell from a typical sermon whether the preacher [is] a follower of Confucius, Muhammad, or Jesus Christ.”

Sir William Blackstone made this statement over 200 years ago “after visiting the churches of every major clergyman in London,” reports Chuck Stetson in his 2007 foreword to the reprint of William Wilberforce’s A Practical View of Real Christianity.

What led to Blackstone’s comment? For one thing, in 1661, punitive and vicious anti-Puritan legislation was passed by the British Parliament. As a result, priests who were Puritans (1/5th of all British clergy) were expelled from the Church of England.

By the time Blackstone toured London's churches in the 1700s, he “did not hear a single discourse which had more Christianity in it than the writings of Cicero,” writes Stetson.

But in 1739, John Wesley (1703-1791), his heart having been “strangely warmed” by the Holy Spirit, began to preach a different message in open-air meetings. Over the next fifty years, Wesley commissioned many preachers who were not ordained or licensed by the Church of England.

At the same time, Wesley encouraged small groups of believers to meet for the strengthening of their faith. Wesley’s new small group “method” of discipleship became a hallmark of “Methodism.” Sometimes persecution produces wonderful things, as was the case in early 20th Century Korea, when the Japanese imprisoned Korean believers who would not bow the knee to the Emperor.

Forty-seven years later, in 1786, when the "Methodist" movement was in high gear, William Wilberforce experienced his own personal spiritual awakening, just five years before Wesley passed on. Wilberforce called this his “great change.”

I wonder if William Wilberforce’s conversion would have occurred at all, apart from the spiritual awakening of 18th Century England in which John Wesley played such a significant role. I also wonder if Wilberforce’s “Clapham Circle” would have become a reality had it not been for Wesley's small group “method” whereby believers received encouragement in the practice of “real” Christianity," which they were not learning about in church.

Merry Olde England?

In the time of William Wilberforce, 25% of the single women in London were prostitutes. Liquor flowed so plentifully that it became known as the “Gin Age.”

Chuck Stetson, in the Foreword to a 2007 reprint of Wilberforce’s work, A Practical View of Real Christianity, writes that “gambling was a national obsession and ruined thousands.” And, “daylight fornication [was practiced] on the village green.” Stetson also writes of “auctioning one’s wife at a cattle market,” and “executions, known as Hanging Shows,” that “attracted huge crowds.”

Stetson writes: “…murder, general lawlessness, thieves and highwaymen were so prevalent that Horace Walpole warned, ‘One is forced to travel, even at noon, as if one were going to battle.’”

In addition, false signals were lit at night on the seashore to lure ships into rocks where the shipwrecks were plundered, with no regard for drowning sailors.

Merry Olde England?

William Wilberforce (who is Chuck Colson’s model and the model for the SALLT Academy I wrote about last week), was one of those followers of Christ who, like the 9-11 fire fighters, headed into the problem rather than away from it.

As a member of 18th Century British Parliament, Wilberforce was active in politics when converted to Christianity in his 20s. At first, he thought about leaving politics and going into “the ministry.” But John Newton, the former slave trader who wrote the words to Amazing Grace, persuaded Wilberforce that a strong follower of Christ was needed in Parliament. Thank God for Newton’s good advice!

Wilberforce is most famous for his tireless efforts to abolish slave trading in England. This was a goal that took twenty years to accomplish. But Wilberforce had a second stated mission in life: “the reformation of manners.”

Wilberforce was not talking about British table manners. He was referring to British culture. The culture described above. And this might be another reason Newton urged Wilberforce to use his influence as a follower of Christ in Parliament.

But there is more to the story of the reformation of Merry Olde England. God raised up another man whose name begins with W: John Wesley.

The stories of Wilberforce and Wesley go hand-in-glove. (To be continued.)

The SALLT Academy

Recently I was invited by the former District Attorney of Oklahoma County, Wes Lane, to meet with a group of about twenty-five members of the Salt And Light Leadership Training Academy (SALLT), in Oklahoma City. I spent the day with them on October 9.

In my thirty years of teaching about biblical worldview, this is the most unusual group I've had the pleasure to address. Among its members are two sitting Oklahoma senators (one currently running for Lieutenant Governor), the County Commissioner, the President of Oklahoma Christian University, a former Miss America, an owner of the city’s baseball team, a member of the Oklahoma City School Board, the Director of the Oklahoma Memorial, prominent business leaders, numerous lawyers, and the list goes on.

The SALLT Academy is an eight-month curriculum in which members come together for one day per month to receive instruction, pray, and focus on city issues in light of the biblical worldview.

We spent the day looking at how to assess matters through the lens of a biblical worldview, and how to propose solutions to city challenges and opportunities that are specific, winsome and consistent with that worldview.

The group was very responsive to what was shared. By the end of the day, they were applying what they had learned to a particular issue that is facing one of their peers. It was truly an amazing thing to watch, and a privilege to be a part of it.

The model for the SALLT Academy is William Wilberforce, the 18th Century Christian who served in the British Parliament. By God's grace, Wilberforce, along with a small group of friends known as the "Clapham Circle," worked tirelessly to abolish slavery in Britain. They succeeded after 20 years of effort.

Wilberforce's Clapham Circle consisted of about ten followers of Christ who were businessmen, bankers, and politicians living in the village of Clapham, near London.

Wes Lane's vision is that many "Clapham Circles" will be spawned in Oklahoma City as a result of leaders' participation in the SALLT Academy curriculum.

Please remember Wes and the SALLT Academy in prayer. What is happening in Oklahoma City could be a model for other cities throughout the world. Pray that God will have His way in the development of the curriculum, and the birthing of "Clapham Circles" to follow.

For more about the SALLT Academy, see http://saltandlightleadership.com/

The Engine That Pulls The Train

“We don’t find meaning in our work, we bring meaning to our work.”

These are the wise words of Bonnie Wurzbacher, Senior Vice President of Global Customers for the Coca-Cola Company, who is a dedicated follower of Christ.

Wurzbacher sees a divine intent for business. She actually sees her work (yes, her work with Coke) as fulfilling the purposes of God in the earth and advancing His Kingdom.

Really? Coke?

In a phone conversation I had with Bonnie last year, she explained it to me this way:

“I believe that anyone’s theology of work is understanding how what they do advances the Kingdom of God here on earth.

And business, I believe, does that in two ways: First of all, it contributes to the economic well-being of communities around the world, which allows everyone to use their God-given gifts and talents; and secondly, as the sole source of wealth creation in the world, it enables every other social, civic and even spiritual institutions to exist…through the taxes, and salaries and also the generous giving of businesses and of business people….”

Think about it. Churches do not create wealth. Their doors are kept open by the free-will giving of congregational members. Civil governments do not create wealth. Without a confiscatory tax system that withholds funds from people’s paychecks, all governments would fold. Schools don’t create wealth. They consume it. So do hospitals and non-profit organizations of all types.

Business is the engine that pulls the train on which every civil, social, and spiritual institution rides.

Bonnie is highlighted in the video of the month. To view, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ake9KgWyB9g

Last week I wrote about a special gathering for men in the Seattle area with Chuck Colson on the morning of October 21. This week I want to let women know about a special gathering for you on the evening of October 22, with Bonnie Wurzbacher.

Don't miss this, ladies! If you live in the greater Seattle area, I urge you to come to the “Women in the Workplace” event at Westminster Chapel in Bellevue to hear Bonnie speak.

Register on-line at http://www.westminster.org/connect/groups/women/special-events/, and forward this information to your friends by clicking the SHARE button below.

A Great Simplifier

Albert Einstein said, “If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.” And General Colin Powell once remarked, “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers.”

Chuck Colson is a great leader because he understands the critical issues of our day and he is able to communicate in such a way that ordinary followers of Christ can grasp what is important and run with it. Colson is a great simplifier.

Maybe this comes from his experience in politics. I don’t know. But one thing is for sure, Colson is sounding a clear trumpet for the Body of Christ to “run toward the problem rather than away from it,” as I alluded to last week when I suggested Christian young people become loan officers.

But Colson is not just calling for Christian loan officers. He is calling for Christ-following scientists, politicians, lawyers, business leaders of all kinds, artists, musicians and educators. He is doing this by helping people to understand what a biblical worldview is and why it is critical to the future of civilization.

Serving in the White House as Richard Nixon's counsel from 1969-73, Colson’s own life was radically altered when he received Christ as his Lord and Savior during the turmoil of the Watergate affair. Then, after serving time in prison for his offenses, he founded Prison Fellowship Ministry.

Since then, he has worked tirelessly to restore a biblical worldview to people's way of thinking and living. He knows this is the most essential way to reverse the inflow of future inmates, and to make society a safer place to live.

Last December, Colson was called to the Oval Office once again. This time by President George W. Bush, who awarded him the Presidential Citizen's Medal--the second highest honor a president can bestow upon an American civilian.

On Wednesday, October 21, 6:30-8:00 am, Colson will be speaking at a men's rally in Bellevue, Washington, near Seattle. If you are a man living in this area, I urge you to reserve your seat at http://www.linkingshields.com/.

Heading Into The Problem Rather Than Away From It

Last week I made the unsettling statement that the Kingdom of God is “contaminated.” That is to say, the present expression of Christ’s Kingdom on earth has been infected by the work of a malicious enemy (Satan), who came in the night and sowed bad seed into the Lord’s field: His Kingdom (Matthew 13:37-43).

I think the fact that we presently live in a contaminated "field" may be the crux of the reason why so many Christians tend to withdraw from this present world, and why some of us see the work of a pastor or a missionary as being the only truly worthwhile and significant occupation on earth (as I did when I was twelve).

We don’t like to think of God's world as being infected. Sick. Broken. Furthermore, we may tend to think that because the field is so infected with weeds, it isn’t worth anything to Him, or to anyone else. And the airplanes we build keep decaying in a world where things get old and fall to pieces.

This may be the reason why as a child I tended to focus more on after-life issues than the present life, when it came to considering what would be a worthwhile occupation for me to pursue in the here-and-now.

Not only do temporal things decay, but when we see political activity contaminated by human pride and greed, the natural tendency is for us to distance ourselves from politics. “It’s dirty.” And when we see business practice infected by the love of money, we tend to think devout Christians ought to disassociate themselves from professions that deal with a lot of money.

While there are certain professions that can never be pleasing to God (such as human trafficking), there are very few professions that cannot be redeemed [restored, renewed, reclaimed] by the grace of God being expressed through His people in the workplaces of the world.

I think that's what He wants to do with us, and one reason why our "ordinary" work is so important to Him.

Think of the firefighters of 9-11, heading into the problem rather than away from it. As followers of Christ, shouldn’t we be heading into the problem, rather than away from it? And doesn't it make sense to do this through the portal of the work-world?

In view of all that has transpired this past year, shouldn’t we be encouraging Christian young people to become loan officers of the future?

Shouldn't we?

His Kingdom, With Or Without Weeds

If we are currently living within the Kingdom of God, and the rule of the Creator-Sustainer is a present reality, why did Christ teach us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come…?” (Matt. 6:10)

Describing the Kingdom of God is like the blind men describing an elephant. One man touches an ear and declares, “the elephant is like a fan!” Another touches the tail and shouts, “the elephant is like a rope!” It depends on which aspect of the elephant one touches.

When it comes to the Kingdom of God, there is both a present expression of the Kingdom and a coming expression. They are not exactly the same expressions. To put it in the context of Matthew 13, the coming Kingdom is "the Kingdom without weeds." The Kingdom where “all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness” have been removed (Matt. 13:41). Until then, God's present Kingdom contains weeds.

Even so, it is still His Kingdom, with or without weeds. In its current state of disrepair, the whole “field” of planet Earth, and all that it contains, including every airplane flying overhead, is the Creator-Sustainer’s own possession (Psalm 24:1).

Does this mean Jesus owns everything in the Boeing Company, and the Boeing manufacturing plant just miles from my home lies within the realm of Christ’s rule, under the jurisdiction of His present Kingdom? I say, “yes.” Jesus is Lord of all (Acts 10:36), whether the Boeing Company recognizes Him as such or not!

Why does understanding this matter? The ramifications for our everyday work are enormous. It means there is no type of earthly work that can be done outside the present Kingdom of God, because the jurisdiction of Christ’s rule extends over every human activity, and there is no earthly occupation that takes place outside the borders of the King's domain.

It gets very practical. If I’m sweeping floors, I’m sweeping part of His Kingdom. If I am building airplanes, I am molding and shaping His Kingdom’s “stuff” into machines that fly through His Kingdom’s sky. This gives building airplanes a sublime dimension, and it gives all work an awesome significance: It is His world we are working in, and His stuff we are working with.

But if I limit my understanding of the Kingdom of God to only its coming pristine expression, and I fail to appreciate its present (albeit contaminated) expression, I'll tend to focus on the age to come, and miss the significance of the here-and-now, including the full significance of everyday work in God's present Kingdom. Including building airplanes.

There's No Other Place To Fly

In the parable of the wheat and the weeds ( Matthew 13:24-30,36-43), we see the “Son of Man” (Jesus) planting “good seed” in “His field.” He calls the good seed the sons of the kingdom, and refers to His field as the world (v. 38).

Which “world” is Jesus referring to here? I believe He is referring to the created realm of planet Earth, which is a wide "field." And in this parable, Jesus refers to this field as “His kingdom” (v. 41).

But then Satan came and planted “bad seed” into Christ’s field, the world (v.39).

So both “wheat” and “weeds” are growing in Christ’s field. We just need to watch the 6 o’clock news to see that "weeds" abound.

But it's strange to think of both the Lord's “wheat” and Satan's “weeds” co-existing side-by-side in Christ’s kingdom! Yet Jesus clearly says that “at the end of this age, the Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness…” (v. 41)

What's that? Are people who “practice lawlessness” in the Kingdom of God? Does the Kingdom of God contain “things that offend?”

For this to make sense, I have to think of the Kingdom of God in its broadest sense as the domain over which Christ is King, and the jurisdiction over which He rules.

When I think of it in this way, I can easily understand how both “wheat” and “weeds” are in God's Kingdom. That’s because no one lives outside His jurisdiction. There’s no other place to exist!

His Kingdom rules over all (Psalm 103:19), and that covers a lot of territory. And it also includes a lot of stuff. That’s why I said last week there are "many airplanes in His kingdom." There’s no other place to fly.
At least that's how I view the Kingdom of God--in it's broadest sense.

Have any of you picked up on the faulty idea that when sin entered history, God turned this world over to Satan, and now the planet belongs to him?

Big ideas have big consequences.

What differences do those two contrasting ideas make on how we view earthly occupations, like building airplanes?

In His Kingdom Are Many Airplanes

To understand how we can “serve God by building airplanes,” as I put it last week, we must comprehend the breadth of the Kingdom of God.

In my previous post, I wrote that God is the Ruler of this world. But Jesus called Satan the ruler of this world! (John 14:30)

What gives?

What gives is, the word “world” has four meanings in Scripture: populated regions, the human race, the created realm of planet Earth, or a system of thought and behavior that is contrary to the ways of God.

John 3:16 says: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…” Here the meaning of “world” is the human race.

But I John 2:15-16 says: “Love not the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Here “world” connotes a system of thought and behavior that is contrary to the ways of God. Or as John puts it: “…the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.”

In Romans 1:8, “world” refers to populated regions: “I thank my God…that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world;” while in Romans 1:20, “world” refers to the created realm of planet Earth: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen…”

When Jesus calls Satan “the ruler of this world,” I believe He is referring to Satan as “the ruler of this world-system,” not the ruler of the created realm of planet Earth, the human race, or populated regions. These "worlds" are God’s alone.

Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains, the world and those who dwell therein.”

Psalm 103:19 says, “His kingdom rules over all.” That's as broad as creation is wide! And in His Kingdom are many airplanes.
Airplanes?

Yes airplanes. It may sound a bit "earthy" to put it in such terms, but I'll try to justify these words next week.

Comments?

The Hazards of Either-Or Thinking

The problem I experienced in my youth was that I separated the "work of God" from the "God of work."

What do I mean by that?

First let me clarify that the eternal destiny of a human soul is critically important, and cooperating with God in the re-birthing process of a human being is the greatest joy we can experience.

I thank God my Mother explained why Jesus died for me. She helped me walk through the amazing re-birth process, whereby I became part of the family of God, and received assurance that I would live with Him forever. I remember this monumental moment like it was yesterday.

But I reduced the Gospel to the “Gospel of Personal Salvation.”

In my view from the pew, I saw the “work of God” as only that which pertained to the after-life and the soul.

Why did I think this way?

Because I divorced the material world from the spiritual world. I divided time from eternity. I separated this world from that world, and failed to see that it is all God’s world.

Our God is not the God of either-or, but the God of both-and: both this world and the next. And He is the Supreme Ruler of both!

Either-or thinking can trouble (torment?) followers of Christ in a culture that divides this world from that world.

Josh Smith (thanks for commenting, Josh) experienced this when he asked his wife, "How do I serve God when I am so involved in making a living, being a father, husband, son, son-in-law...?"

The hazards of either-or thinking can cause a follower of Christ who works at Boeing to say, “How do I serve God when I am so involved in building airplanes?”
 
But the fact is, we serve God by building airplanes!

Really?

To be continued…

Why Polish Brass on a Sinking Ship?

Growing up in church, I often heard the Great Commission of Matthew 28 quoted, but little mention was made of the First Commission of Genesis 1.

In the Great Commission, Jesus says: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you… "

This was often quoted in reference to missionaries, which may explain why I reduced the message to: “Go tell people how they can be saved, so that when they die, they can go to heaven.”
To my impressionable mind, soul-saving was the only real reason for living, and the only legitimate purpose for Christians to remain on earth after they got saved.

The First Commission of Genesis 1:26-28—where God commissioned humans to govern over all the earth—was far off my radar. After all, it is a commission to rule over this material world, and somehow I got the impression the material world was something I should not take very seriously.

Songs to that effect filled my young mind: “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through...;” “Turn your eyes upon Jesus…and the things of earth will grow strangely dim…” “Some glad morning when this life is ‘ore, I’ll fly away…”

Heaven was the focus—not Earth. “Why polish brass on a sinking ship?” This didn’t leave many occupational choices for me. If I was going to do something truly God-honoring with my life, my choices were limited to being a pastor or a missionary.

Have you ever felt this way? If so, I’d like to journey with you. The comments and questions that you provide will help to move our conversation along.

Welcome!